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• Auction House:
  Webb's
• Sale Name:
  Important Oceanic & African Art
• Sale Date:
  10 Jun 2014 ~ 6pm (NZ time)
• Lot #:
  78
• Lot Description:
  Rare Gable Mask Satawan Atoll, Mortlock Islands
  Tapuanu, a beautifully crafted and rare mask of light dry breadfruit wood, the elongated facial plane with delicately drawn geometrically shaped eyebrows and mouth are framed by a blackened beard, and detailed head adornment, the beard area is finely painted with representations of insects. The mask has symmetry in its form which only comes to break for the circular head adornment at the top. Masks are rare in Micronesia - traditionally they are only found in the Mortlock group of islands. This classic and rare example painted white using lime and detailed with black using soot. The mask has narrow eye-slits, and would have been secured to the wearer's head with coconut fibre cord. Such masks represented an ancestor. They were used as ornaments in the ceremonial house and sometimes in boat houses. The ceremonial house was the location of performances by members of a secret society, in which the god of wind was appeased to protect the breadfruit crops from hurricanes and storms. The ceremonies included dancing and feasting. This mask closely resembles one sold by Sotheby's December 4th 2004 possibly the match for the opposing gable and crafted by the same master carver. Reference: J. Mack (ed.), Masks: the art of expression (London, The British Museum Press, 1994). J. Feldman and D.H. Rubinstein, The art of Micronesia (Honolulu, The University of Hawaii Art Gallery, 1988. British Museum.
  H.495mm, W.190mm, D.110mm.
• Provenance:
  Private collection New York, U.S.A.
• Estimate:
  NZ$20,000 - 40,000
• Realised Price:
  *****
  

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• Category:
  Tribal

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.